Young catcher Marson learning from the ropes

KISSIMMEE, Fla. - In the third inning of Saturday's Grapefruit League game, Phillies catcher Lou Marson called for a fastball high and inside. Jamie Moyer thought it was a risky choice for the situation but decided to throw it anyway.

Sure enough, Moyer left the pitch over the plate, and Scott Sizemore, batting ninth for the Detroit Tigers, homered. Moyer had been correct: He shouldn't have given the ninth man in the order a hittable pitch.

"If it had been a regular-season game, I would have shaken Marson off," Moyer said. After the inning, the 46-year-old veteran approached the 22-year-old prospect and explained why the call had been a bad one. "It was a teaching moment," Moyer said.

There have been many such instances in recent years for Marson, a converted infielder who the Phillies believe can be an excellent major-league catcher, defensively and at the plate. After watching Marson this spring, the team feels he is close to being ready.

"There are a lot of expectations on Lou Marson," manager Charlie Manuel said.

Marson, scheduled to begin the season in triple A, is trying to accelerate his education while in major-league camp, gathering information from veterans like Moyer.

"The biggest thing is that you have to learn about the pitcher and just communicate with him," Marson said. "Jamie has so many different pitches, there are a lot of signs you have to learn."

"He's done a good job," Moyer said. "In my personal opinion, learning how to handle a pitching staff is the most important thing for a catcher, more than his offense. Marson works with us and pays attention to what's going on."

Management has also been impressed. "His strength has actually become his ability to run the game," assistant general manager Chuck LaMar said. "That is unique for a converted catcher. We think he's one of the finest catching prospects in baseball."

Marson hopes to join the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers' Russell Martin, Minnesota's Joe Mauer, and Atlanta's Brian McCann as catchers who provide substantial offense in addition to managing the pitching staff.

"I want to be good at hitting and catching," he said. "You have to bust your butt to be a good offensive catcher. Earlier in my minor-league career, my numbers weren't so good because I was learning how to catch."

Marson failed to top .257 in his first three minor-league seasons, but he lifted his average 45 points, to .288, in 2007 and batted .314 in double-A last year. He was 2 for 4 with a home run during a late-season call-up to the Phillies.

Marson has begun the spring slowly - he remains hitless after going 0 for 3 in yesterday's 7-2 loss to Atlanta - but the numbers do not concern hitting coach Milt Thompson.

"He's pretty polished," Thompson said. "He's a gap-to-gap hitter who I think will develop power, and he has a very good idea of what he's doing up there. I don't have a crystal ball, but I would say that he has a good chance to be an offensive catcher."

LaMar was even more specific: "During the course of this season, he should truly be ready to compete at the major-league level."